But more than those, her avoidance of alcohol was intentional. The decision of a child who experienced loss at the hands of an addict. Where Sebastian surrounded himself with liquor, almost as a test of willpower, Eva chose to ignore it, which made her working at the distillery even more impressive.
“Solstice Mist?” He asked, holding aloft a bottle of my foundation label.
I nodded. “Make it a double. That performance was painful to watch.” I replied, intentionally diverting the conversation away from Eva and to the rain drenched belting the Hearts copped.
“Yeah, boys will be filthy when they get here. Even Marls’ seems mopey.”
“She was cussing them out and then defending them in the same breath. Never seen anyone so invested in a football team.” He smirked knowingly, having told me on plenty of occasions how worked up she became when they took the field.
“I’m surprised you noticed. Heard you spent most of the time staring at my sister.” And the conversation was already back to myfiancée.There was an edge to his tone, as though he was trying not to get frustrated while simultaneously testing the waters.
I shrugged, feeling a smile tugging at my lips despite myself as I looked over to the table where she was laughing with the girls and Andy, Jack and Jay who’d finally arrived.
“She makes it hard to look away.” I mumbled more to myself, only his narrowed gaze indicated he’d heard before he slid my drink across the bar, taking his own and lifting it towards me.
“This good to drink?” I joked, sensing his unease at whatever was happening with his sister, and he raised his brow as if I was an idiot.
“There are very few people I care about in this world, Coop. Very few people who I trust.” He looked me dead in the eye, a seriousness to his tone, and despite the loud music, I could hear himas if we were the only two people in the place. “And Evangeline has loved you since we were kids, bro. I’m trusting you not to make me choose between you both. Don’t hurt her, brother, but also, don’t self-sabotage.” His words slammed into me sucking the wind from my sails. It wasn’t the way he was putting his trust in me. Giving me his acceptance and understanding of whatever the fuck was happening with Eva and I, but it was the way he casually offered an observation I’d fought to ignore.
Evangeline has loved you since we were kids, brother.
She loved me and people knew.
Well, in a very different way to what I’d always known, because even as kids I felt her love for me in the way I knew Seb and Judy loved me. But this seemed different.
There was no way though. The thought was laughable. And so, in true Cooper Dane style, I did just that.
With a forced laugh which held none of my regular warmth I clinked our glasses together, as if there was no issue, no reason to worry. He was being ridiculous, and everything was under control. I shook my head, maintaining a smile on my face because nothing could get under my skin enough to cause pain, so long as I appeared ambivalent.
“Self-sabotage?” I mocked, as if the thought was ludicrous. “I would never.” Only we both knew the smile I was maintaining was brittle and strained and this conversation was delving into a territory I was not even remotely drunk enough for. I needed to get back to my little cloud of calm. That same calm who melted under my touch and looked at me as if I was the only person in the room. The one whose face flashed a grin, dazzling and toothy as I approached the table and took the seat next to her.
But love? She didn’t love me in the way he was implying. Why would she when she was so completely perfect, and I was an emotionally stunted workaholic.
Without preamble she moved into my space, my arm involuntarily wrapping around her as though being attached to me was where she belonged. And when she looked up, her eyes alight withinnocence and asked why I’d taken so long, I forgot we were at a table surrounded by our friends. Only I thinkshealso knew that the truth had crept in through the cracks, even when we were with others, and with Seb’s words refusing to settle in my mind, I stopped thinking, stopped fighting and gave in to my deepest inclinations.
And that was her.
“I missed you,” I answered instead, watching as her smile moved up to her eyes at the same time as those same eyes tracked down my face to stare at my mouth.
“I always miss you, Poop,” she replied, wrapping her arm around my neck and pulling me lower, my mouth finding hers like two magnets in a storm.
CHAPTER 30
Eva
He tasted like whiskey poured over ice. The intensity of his tongue waking every cell in my body despite our public location and audience.
I was under his spell.
It was as simple and as raw as that. Without any layers or filters, on a primal level, I was entirely charmed and under the elixir of a darkened nightclub, surrounded by people moving and grinding to the rhythmic backing track of the latest hits, it felt captivating.
Intoxicating.
All I’d ever wanted was a firework in the sky kind of love. A love so warm and bright that you could look at it and think about nothing other than whoever it was who brightened your darkest nights with pops of unexpected colour. And when I looked into the frozen stare of Cooper, wide-eyed and breathless, it felt as though that sparkle of vibrant fire poured into my bloodstream.
My courage might have come from a bottle, but the desire behind my actions had always been mine. Even with the bass thumping around us, a constant reminder that we weren't alone, I didn’t care.
Because Cooper shredded the art of kissing and set it alight, leaving a quivering, needy me in his wake.
